Dancing Flame
by HeartAngel1796
Summary: Warm colors are not all that makes fire beautiful. It's also how it moves. The air of the wind moves beautifully as well, and fuels this fire and brings it to life. RaiKim Romance.
1. Chapter 1

Dancing Flame

Chapter 1

Warm colors are not all that makes fire beautiful. It's also how it moves. The air of the wind moves beautifully as well, and fuels this fire and brings it to life. RaiKim Romance.

**I don't own any of Xiaolin Showdown or any of it's awesome characters. (Although, my OC(s) for this story are mine) This is my first story, so be honest but please be nice.**

* * *

"PLEEEEEEEASSE?" Omi begged on his knees to his tall, Brazilian friend.

"Omi, I said no! We've been training all morning and when Master Fung gives us a break I like to not spend it doing more training," Raimundo said back to his small, monk friend. Getting annoyed, he tries to block him out by leaning up on a post by the stairs outside the temple building with his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. Clay sits not too far away on that porch connected to those stairs with Kimiko by him searching on her laptop.

"But Raimundo, I wish to very much help you with your attacks. If I recall our earlier training, your foot work was most sloppy. You looked as though you were prancing with too many toes," Omi said wagging a finger towards Raimundo. Rai annoyed, opened his eyes and rolled them with a sigh and sat up on the step.

"I think you mean dancing with two left feet, Omi," Kimiko called over to them on the stairs.

"Either saying is accurate to how you move," Clay stated standing up and walking over to the stairs and sitting down. Rai looked at them both with irritation growing in him.

"Excuse me? This is the Dragon of the Wind you're talking about. Of course I can move," Rai said defensively back to his friends.

"Yeah, you can move," Kimiko said from behind Rai with her laptop in hands. "Move aside and let me sit down." Clay and Omi chuckled slightly at her pun. Rai stood up in a huff and walked down the small length of stairs to the grounds of the training yard. Kimiko sat down in his former spot on the top step placing her laptop back on the tops of her legs. Rai groaned as he stepped further away from the stairs and stopped a few feet away with his back to his fellow monks. Kimiko noticed he wasn't just annoyed now, he was slouched over with his fists clenched slightly but she could tell he was mad about what they said. Kimiko respected Raimundo too much to not try to apologize. "Rai?" Kimiko tried to get his attention back. He turned to look over his shoulder at her with a blank expression on his face but irritation in his emerald eyes. "Rai, we were just joking," she said tilting her laptop scene down half way. "You are the Dragon of the Wind, if you can't move then the air itself may as well have no breeze at all," He smirked brightly at this compliment and she smiled back knowing he wasn't mad anymore. At least until the other two started talking again.

"I'm sorry too Rai, in a fight you're faster then a Kansas tornado. But I've see you square dance, partner, and those kinds of moves are just sad," Clay stated at first to apologize but quickly turned into another tease. Omi giggled at this comment as Rai's fetchers shifted back to frustration.

"Oh, so now you're saying I can't dance?!" Raimundo hollered louder then necessary to get the monk's full attention. All three of them looked at their leader with shock that he was raising his voice like that. Rai turned his head away quickly, feeling shame for blowing this out of proportion.

"Can you dance Rai?" Kimiko asked with growing interest and curiosity. Rai looked back at them, took a deep breath and walked back over to the first stair. Before Kimiko could protest or react at all, Raimundo snatched her laptop out of her grasp, sat down on the bottom step and started typing something into the search bar. "Rai, what are you…"

"Just watch," Rai cuts her off and clicks the play button to a video titled _'Rio de Janeiro New Year's, Young Persons Dance Competition.'_ The three monks all leaned in to see the screen better. The video showed a big stage with a purple curtain draped across it, and suddenly a faceless announcer's heavy accented voice came on.

"_And now, dancing the Salsa, all the way from the great state of Sao Paulo, Franciska Barros, and her partner, local of Rio, Raimundo Pedrosa!" _The three monks gave small gasps as they heard the name of their leader and the purple curtain rose to revile a younger Rai on stage with a girl roughly his age in a sparkly dress. Kimiko gave Rai a quick look but his attention was only on the clip. As music started to play from the laptop, Kimiko looked back to the screen and watched as the two tweens danced.

As all four monks watched, the Dragons of Earth, Water, and Fire never blinked. Rai's movements were not only breathtakingly pleasing to the eye, but they looked so natural. He danced like his bones and flesh were light air under his skin, but at the same time he was strong and locked with his partner amazingly well. The girl named Franciska was wonderful too. Her presence and form on stage held not only beauty, but also showed experience and refinement. She and Raimundo dominated that stage like they owned it. They ruled over the stage with their Salsa.

But as Kimiko watched their dance grow more intense and Rai and his hands moved more and more all over his partner, she felt a sting of jealously burn in the sides of her mind. Kimiko realized this and shook her head to snap it out of her. 'Why should I feel jealous?' she though. 'Just because some over glittered, toe-tapping tramp is throwing her self all over Rai with no objections from him?' Kimiko realized what she just asked herself and sighed in her mind. 'Their doing a Salsa, of course they're supposed to be touching each other like that. And how could you call that girl a tramp? You don't know her,' Kimiko badgered herself. 'So why am a still upset?'

Kimiko was pulled back from her thoughts as their dance concluded with a one arm spin and dip. The giant audience in the video erupted in applause as Raimundo and Franciska stood tall center stage with their fingers intertwined with each others held high above their heads and they both took a bow. As they raised their heads, the screen showed their huge grins as the video's time ran out and stopped. Raimundo immediately slapped the laptop closed and turned where he sat to put it back in Kimiko's hands. He immediately got back to his feet with his arms crossed and stared at his dumbfounded friends for a few seconds.

"I accept my apologizes verbally spoken or in writing," he stated darkly with a bit of sarcastic pride buried deep but with a light frown. The other three monks looked at each other still shocked for a few seconds more, then Clay gave a big grin, stood up and started to clap loudly. Omi then looked back to Raimundo, stood and began to clap as well. Kimiko laughed lightly at this, placed her laptop on the porch, stood and also began to clap. Raimundo unfolded his arms and just stared at his friends applauding him. Clay even also gave a two fingered whistle between his clapping. Rai could see what they were trying to say and smiled. He then stuck his right hand to his lower back and raised his left arm straight and high above his head, and bowed while fluttering his hand in the air down with the rest of him. "Please, you're to kind," Rai said sarcastically flattered as he raised his head back up. As their clapping slowly died down they sat back on the stairs.

"Dang Rai, that was something else," Clay said in a laugh.

"Yes Raimundo, I never thought I would see anything quite as beautiful as ti chi, but still that was a most impressive display," Omi said very excited at this new style. "But what was the point of those moves if you were not fighting that girl?" Omi asked Raimundo, curiously and confused.

"It was a dance contest Omi, not a sparring competition," Raimundo explained. "The point is to show off your skills with the person you're on the stage with. Our opponents were the other pairs of dancers not on stage with us. Each pair goes on one at a time while being judged by a few people with professional experience and compares all the dancers to each other to see who's the best and pick winners." Omi still looked puzzled.

"But what were you all being judged on exactly?"

"How we moved, how we and our partner moved together, and how well we did the type of dance we were doing," he replied.

"You mean there are many other different types of those dances that exist?" Omi asked getting more intrigued.

"Yeah, like all those different fighting moves we all learned from Master Fung." Omi smiled still fascinated. Now it was Clay and Kimiko's turn to ask questions.

"So, now that Omi knows what a dance competition is," Kimiko began.

"Maybe you could shed a bit more light on why you were in one?" Clay finished. Raimundo sighed lightly. He knew if he showed them that clip they would want the whole story.

"It was five years ago, only a few months before I left to come here to China," he began as he sat on the ground of the training yard. "I knew I liked to dance with my friends on the streets, but I was never taught any of those real dances. I heard about the contest but didn't think much of it. I knew those contests wanted to see real dances not free-stylers. Then I met Franciska. She was in town for the contest and she was looking for a partner. She saw potential in me, taught me how to Salsa and a few other dances for fun, and we were good to go," Rai smiled remembering his old friend. Kimiko noticed this look and some of the sting came back. Clay's outburst distracted her from it for a second.

"Did you guys win?" Clay asked with anticipation. Raimundo gave a weak smile.

"We placed for third. A small bronze trophy and…" Raimundo hesitated for a second before continuing. Kimiko noticed this. "…$2,500 in prize money."

"Rai, that's awesome. Third place out of all those other great dancers and $2,500," Kimiko trying to reassure him after noticing his ashamed look.

"There were only 11 groups. And they only gave trophies and cash prizes to the top three pairs. Second was $5,000, and first was $10,000. And Franciska and I only got moved up to third place because there was a disqualification," he replied still speaking like something was bothering him a bit. "And I wouldn't have had a chance without Franciska."

"Did you two stay in touch after that day?" Clay asked.

"After she went back to Sao Paulo, we exchanged e-mails for a couple of months, but I had to tell her I couldn't message her too much anymore because I was leaving Brazil," Rai said, still with disappointment somewhere in his voice. Why was he so down? Kimiko wanted to know.


	2. Chapter 2

Dancing Flame

Chapter 2

* * *

2 weeks later; Clay, Omi, and Kimiko were sitting peacefully at the kitchen table enjoying their breakfast. That is until they heard an all too familiar growl of frustration followed by an alarming smash. All three monks rose from their chairs and dashed out of the room to the source of the sound, which they could tell came from the guy's stared bedroom. Kimiko moved out to have her own room just next door as a 14th birthday present from Master Fung. But the guys still shared that same room together. Clay and Omi entered the room first but Kimiko stood behind, just in the door way. Raimundo was on his knees, using his hand to sweep the shattered remains of a vase into a pile. He didn't even look up.

"Raimundo, what happened?" Omi asked concerned. Raimundo raised his head to look at his friend's puzzled faces.

"I'm sorry guys," Rai, still kneeling, turned so he was frontward facing them. He continued to sweep the vase's dust and shards with his right hand. "Stupid, morning accident I guess." Kimiko tilted her head to see him better passed Omi and Clay. Her eyes went from his beautiful emerald eyes, to the dusty pile of broken pottery, and then to his hands. She gasped under her breath when she saw his left hand he was supporting himself with. His knuckle was scratched up with blood slowly surfacing. Kimiko grabbed the dust pan by the door and pushed past Omi and Clay. She kneeled down across from the Brazilian and started to brush the pile of broken vase into the pan. Rai stopped to watch her, smiled and reached to take the dust broom from her. "It's my mess Kimiko, let me…" Before he could finish his sentence, Kimiko quickly dropped the brush and pan and grabbed Rai's left hand he had reach out with. Kimiko held his hand palm down, and studied his bloody knuckle. Raimundo gave a sigh as he looked at her face's reaction and knew what she was going to say.

"Accident, my ass," Kimiko said dryly not taking her eyes off of his hand. Raimundo frowned and jerked his hand out of her grip.

"I heard a crash, young monks," Master Fung said calmly from the door way with Dojo around his shoulders. Everyone looked to their teacher. "Is everything alright?" Everyone then looked to Raimundo. He gave a heavy sigh.

"Fine," he huffed as he stood up. "I just got a message from my mom back in Rio. You guys remember Franciska?" They all nodded, including Master Fung and Dojo; Kimiko also showed them the clip of their dance shortly after Rai showed them. "Well, she's in Rio de Janeiro right now looking for a dance partner for another big competition there. She showed up at my house looking for me, but my mom told her I was still away. Then she told my mom more about the contest. And apparently, the first place winners get to perform their winning dance on top of one of the floats during this year's carnivals in Rio. But she understood I wasn't available and left." Raimundo looked back down at his left knuckles in disappointment. Kimiko could see how upset he was.

"That sounds might'dy exciting Rai," Clay stated to his friend. Raimundo looked up from his hand.

"I've gone to see the Rio carnivals live ever since I was a little kid," Raimundo said, a small smile creeping on his lips in remembering. "I thought there was nothing more amazing in the world, except maybe to actually be in the parade itself." Kimiko saw a sparkle in his eyes as he remembered and smiled herself.

"I am most confused," Omi stated, pulling both Raimundo and Kimiko out of their thoughts. "Parades during carnivals? Is this like the circus from your past Raimundo? I thought you disliked it."

"No Omi, the carnivals in Rio de Janeiro have nothing to do with the circus. It's the biggest carnival in the world. It's a world famous event held in Rio every year before Lent. With giant floats, great music with drums, tons of confetti and glitter, people in crazy and beautiful costumes, and an army of samba dancers marching freely everywhere you look," Raimundo described with excitement and lingering wonder from his childhood. "There are usually only floats for the many samba schools in Rio, but I guess they decided to have a contest to pick who'll dance on top of one of theirs this year." Raimundo looked back at his hand. Kimiko watched as he brought two of his fingers to the scratches. He cringed with a hiss from the stinging of it and Kimiko immediately grabbed it again with both her hands. Raimundo looked down at her with gentle eyes. She wasn't looking back but that just meant he could stare all he wanted and she couldn't tell.

"Perhaps you should get that rapped up Raimundo," Master Fung suggested from the door way.

"I'll do it Master Fung," Kimiko said looking over to him with out removing her hands from Raimundo's. Master Fung watched as the two walked out and down the hall and a smile came upon his face at an idea.

* * *

In the medical room, Raimundo sat on one of the cots as Kimiko rummaged through the cabinets for disinfectant and bandages. When she found everything she needed, she walked over to the bed and sat right next to Raimundo and faced him. They both said nothing as he stuck his hand out to her and she began to clean the wound, then began to rap the roll of cloth around his knuckle.

As she rapped the cloth, the Dragon of Fire could only think and assume what her best friend was thinking. 'Raimundo must be more upset then I thought. He hears he's missed his chance to be in a huge dance competition and to possibly be part of the biggest event in his hometown. And he misses his little Salsa friend. I bet he punched that vase into the wall as soon as he learned that Franciscka girl was looking for a partner and he knew he wasn't there to say yes.' Kimiko's thought irritated her as she pulled the bandage tight.

"Oww," Raimundo cried softly pulling his hand away. This also pulled Kimiko out of her thoughts and looked to her best friend, thinking she hurt him. "That's a little tight there Kim."

"Sorry Rai," she said, grabbing his hand again to finish rapping it up.

"It's fine." Kimiko finished and took her hands away from Raimundo's so he could flex it to feel it was comfortable. She looked at him once again taking in how cute he looked in this state of being, even though she could very well tell he was still upset. It might hurt her to ask and hear the answer, but her curiosity of the whole thing was too great.

"Rai, are you that upset about missing the parade?" Raimundo looked at her and gave a weak smile seeing her concern.

"Nah. I've missed the parades before. It's just, the contest and the chance to be in the carnival parade is something I've always dreamed of," Raimundo said in wonder with a bit of sad still in his eyes.

"And Franciska?" Raimundo immediately looked back to his best friend with full attention.

"Yeah, I miss her too. And I feel bad that she was counting on me to be in Rio for the contest and be her partner. Literally, the last thing I said to her before she left Rio after the last contest was, 'If you're ever in town again for a dance competition, you know where to find me.' Now she has to go find herself someone else. I just feel like I let her down, you know?" Raimundo beat himself with his words. The sting came back to Kimiko's brain for a second, but she pushed it to the back and gently placed a hand on the wind dragon's bandaged knuckle. His eyes looked back and met her sapphire ones.

"Rai, she said she understands. Plus you're my best friend, and I know you could never let anyone down," Kimiko said with a smile and Raimundo smiled back. She quickly removed her hand with a hint of pink creeping on her checks and stood up. "Come on, our training session was supposed to have started a while ago." Raimundo nodded in agreement, stood and followed her out of the medical room and outside.

* * *

When they reached the training yard, they only saw their other fellow dragons sparring.

"Hey," Raimundo hollered over to his cowboy and cheese ball shaped friends as he and Kimiko walked up to them. "Where's Master Fung?"

"He left on Dojo not to long ago," Clay said, dropping his fighting stance.

"Yes, and he instructed us to practice our sparring with out any Shen Gong Wu or the use of our elements until he returns later this afternoon," Omi finished.

"Where did he go?" Kimiko asked.

"He didn't say. Just something he had to take care of I suppose," Clay responded starting to knack his knuckles, a wicked smile starting to form on his lips. "Now lets get to it, I've been itch' in to scrap all morning." All the other monks gave fierce grins back and took their fighting stances.

* * *

All morning into late in the afternoon, the monks continued with multiple sparring matches with each other. It was Clay and Omi's turns to spare, so the two remaining monks stood to the side and just watched. Although, every so often, Kimiko glanced back up at her tall, Brazilian friend. He was smiling while watching his friends but she could still see it in his emerald green eyes that he was still upset. She wanted to help him. In any way she could. She hated it when he was upset or angry, and she hated herself more when she couldn't do anything about it. But maybe she could. Kimiko opened her mouth to ask Raimundo something but no words came out. Instead, they came from Omi.

"Raimundo," the small monk called over annoyed. "Could you please come over and demonstrate for Clay the proper form of Spider Doing Hocy-Pocky?!" Raimundo shrugged with a small sigh and walked over to take Clay's place. Kimiko pouted that she missed her chance to talk to her bummed out friend. She stood their and watched as Raimundo talked their Texan friend through the move. Clay then tried to attempt it himself but once again messed up the form. Rai lightly squeezed the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry Rai, I just ante get' in it," Clay turned back to his leader. "Maybe you should just show me."

"If you insist," Raimundo sighed again, stepping into the sparring circle and in front of Omi. They both bowed and commenced the fight. Omi attacked first.

"Monkey Strike!"

"Spider Doing Hocy-Pocy!" Raimundo maneuvered around Omi as he attacked and avoided his Monkey Strike. And in doing so, also struck him and he plopped to the ground. Raimundo landed gracefully on his feet and dusted himself off.

"Well hello Mr. Twinkle-Toes, still light on your feet as ever I see," a voice rang into the yard. Raimundo paused with a shock and thought for a moment.

"There's only one person in the whole world who calls me that," he said slowly to himself, dumbfounded. Raimundo turned to the front gate to see his suspicions correct. The others looked over as well. Kimiko's chest fell and the sting was back.


	3. Chapter 3

Dancing Flame

Chapter 3

* * *

"Franciska?!" Raimundo exclaimed with a huge grin.

"Raimundo!" the girl at the front gate exclaimed in response. Raimundo gave a laugh in a breath and started to run towards her and she dropped her bags. When they were close enough, he picked her up and spun her around in a hug.

As the other dragons watched the pretty little picture both Omi and Clay smiled, intrigued by the scene. But Kimiko. All she could do was stare, her jaw slightly dropped open. 'She was here? At the temple! This oh-so amazing friend of Rai's from that contest years ago! But why? How did she even…' Before Kimiko could finish her own thought, Master Fung accompanied by Dojo walked through the gate and stood by the two Brazilian, old friends still hugging. As their hug broke, the other two young male monks started to walk towards them and their teacher. Kimiko wasn't too thrilled about meeting this girl, but she sucked it up, not wanting to seem rude, and walked over to the others as well.

"Rai, when your mom said you were away at some special school I didn't think it was this special!" Franciska exclaimed looking all around her. "I mean, I was flown here on a dragon for God sakes!" Raimundo laughed at his old friend's excitement.

"Franciska, it's so great to see you again," Raimundo said, still smiling brightly. He couldn't believe what five years did to her. She was always a fairly cute girl, but now she was a beautiful young woman. Her hair was longer then he remembered it to be, taller by at least 3 inches or more, and the primal male in him couldn't help but look to notice that her bust had gained more to it as well. A cough broke the silence of him studying his old friend's new appearance. He turned to the source, his cowboy companion, with a smiling round-headed monk and a cross-armed Japanese girl to his sides. "Oh, yeah, Franciska these are my friends. The other monks I've been studying and training with," he said to their guest and gestured her to his fellow monks. "This is Omi, Clay Bailey, and Kimiko Tohomiko." Omi smiled big and waved to her as he was introduced, Clay smirked and tipped his hat with a gentle 'howdy' at his name, and Kimiko just stood there and replied with a simple 'hi'. "Guys you remember Franciska Barros from that clip I showed you not to long ago, right?" They all nodded, happy to finally meet this amazing dancer and old friend of Raimundo's. Well, not all of them.

"You showed them that video of us dancing at that contest five years ago?"

"No, I just showed them only about two weeks back," Raimundo joked, earning a light giggle from the foreign girl. Kimiko found this funny too, but didn't show it at all. "But never mind that, what are you doing here in China? You should be in Rio practicing for the contest." The tan girl just gave an excited and toothy grin. She then let out a laugh to match the look on her face before she responded.

"Well, after your mom told me you weren't around to be in the contest, I was upset," she started to explain, her smile softly shifting to a plain face. "I went around town to look for a new partner, but nobody stood out to me. A few hours later, I got tired and I stopped for some lunch. I thought I was never going to find someone. Then my cell phone rag. It was your house, so I answered it. It was your mom telling me to come back because she said there was someone there who could help me," she said, the big smile returning with the last few words of her sentence. Raimundo looked at his old friend and thought, 'someone who could help her?' As he thought this, his teacher stepped up right behind her, and he could figured it out.

"Master Fung?"

"Yes Raimundo, I went to your house in Rio and told your mother how upset you were about not being home for this special event. Then I asked if she knew how to contact this old partner of yours so I could speak with her," he said, smiling down at the new girl. She smiled back. "Your mother immediately gave her a call and told her to come back to your house. She was there about half an hour later, I explained who I was with the help of your mother, and we made an arrangement." Raimundo, with growing anticipation for them to get to the point, looked back from the old man to his friend from Sao Paulo.

"You and I are do'in the contest next month!"

"Really?"

"Really Raimundo," the excited wind dragon looked back to his teacher. "But even though I'm allowing this as your mentor, it can't interfere with your duties as a Xiaolin monk."

"Yeah, so your master is letting me stay here at the temple with you so we can practice, then go back to Rio for the competition. And if we win, back for CARNIVAL!" Franciska exclaimed, giving a shimmy of her shoulders to Rai as he also exclaimed his excitement to the sky. The two once again, jumped into each others arms in a joyful hug.

Kimiko looked at him strongly. He's eyes lit up like the stars above Monte Carlo. The upset and despairing look from earlier was gone; and yet after their hug broke, she saw still a bit of uncertainty. And still she looked and wondered, 'What makes this girl so special in his eyes?' She continued to stare as her best friend lead his 'oh-so special' friend from his past, to the temple to show her her guest quarters. And as everyone else around her also made their way back inside, she then also asked, 'What makes **me** so special in his eyes?' Really?

* * *

Kimiko laid awake with her eyes closed as she tried to put her troubled mind at ease enough to sleep. But all she could think of was Raimundo and Franciska from dinner. No one else spoke the whole meal. Clay and Omi only looked back and forth from their plates to their leader and his pretty, old friend while they discussed what dance they would do for the upcoming contest. Kimiko on the other hand, only focused on her food and did her best to block their 'delightful' conversation out. As she tried to not remember that event, what did stand out in her mind was the names of some of the dances they mentioned they might do. On that thought, Kimiko knew she wasn't going to sleep that night at all if she didn't try to clear her head the best way she knew how.

A minute later, the Dragon of Fire was out of her pajamas and back in her robes, also wearing her favorite flexible flat shoes, and she was standing tall in the small courtyard by the gardens. Ballet, jive, the tango, the waltz, even contemporary dance, all dances she remembered from small classes she took years ago back in Tokyo. She remembered all the basic steps, but she had never actually performed them to even just herself in years. But needing to clear her mind, and back then this was the best way she knew how. She took a stance and began to move her body as it wanted to.

Kimiko knew she loved to dance all her life. Which is why her father let her take as many dance classes he knew of and she would agree to. And she learned a lot from the classes, but the Dragon of Fire is a natural talent when it comes to dancing. Kimiko always preferred to dance her way, but now she was grateful to her papa for sending her to those classes for real dances. Earlier that day, after she had bandaged Raimundo's hand and they were sparring all afternoon, she thought that if Rai still wanted to be in the contest and he obviously needed a partner maybe, if Master Fung would let them, she could be his partner and they could enter the competition together. And maybe if they won, they could all go to Carnival together, with all their friends watching while she and her Rai rocked the top of that float with their amazing dancing.

She was about to ask him this but then 'she' showed up out of nowhere and stole him back. Kimiko stopped in her track from her dance as she remembered exactly why she was so upset.

'Wind and Fire are complementary elements. Fire moves beautifully alone, but even more so with the gentle wind guiding it and helping it grow stronger.' Master Fung told them this one lesson when they were learning more about how to use their elements. And ever since, Kimiko knew, she could feel that there is or could be someday, something more to her and Raimundo. Often times he showed he knew this too, but more often he was just her cocky, prankster best friend. 'Did he still feel that was true?' she thought as she just stood there. 'If he did, he would have thought of me to be his partner before he said yes to Miss Sao Paulo.' Kimiko thought bitterly, clenching her fists and a hot tear of frustration even escaped her eye. She quickly wiped it away and stomped quietly back to her own room.

* * *

The next morning, Kimiko woke up and hoped that the events of yesterday with their new guest were just a pesky dream. But upon entering the kitchen, she was disappointed to see that girl sitting at the table laughing like an idiot with the Dragon of the Wind right next to her. Clay was at the stove flipping pancakes and frying up beacon stripes, Omi on the opposite counter end squeezing oranges into a pitcher.

Like when Miss Barros first arrived at the temple, Kimiko was in no way eager to go over to her and talk. But Raimundo looked up and noticed her presence before she could ever think of what else she could do to get out of this with out seeming impolite.

"Morning Kim," the Brazilian boy greeted warmly.

"Morning Rai," she said back, immediately looking from his face to the Brazilian girl's. "And good morning to you Franciscka," as she said that, Kimiko sat at the set across from the two of them, but still slightly closer to Rai's set, trying her best to smile honestly. "I hope you slept OK on the mats we have here. It took all of us months to get used to them enough to even get a wink of sleep," Kimiko tried to joke to her. Even if she and Rai do have something, there's no reason she can't try to be friendly to this girl; at least not yet. Maybe she could be a good friend.

"Oh, they weren't that bad. I've got a strong back," Franciska replied brightly.

"Do you now?" Clay stepped in to the conversation, sitting down between the two girls, placing a tall plate of pancakes and a platter of bacon on the table. "With the way we do things 'round here, that's a good thing." Clay began helping himself to his own cooking while Omi followed, sitting right next to Franciscka with his pincher and immediately started pouring into the glasses.

"Oh yes, I strong body is most important for a Xiaolin warrior. Or for just a lovely dancer such as you are," Omi said, offering her the first glass of orange juice. Franciska smiled and accepted the glass.

"Thank you, for the complement and the juice," she replied taking a big sip.

Everyone then also proceeded to load their plates with breakfast and started to eat. Although after every bit she took, the Dragon of Fire looked back up to glance at their Brazilian new comer and the one she's know for years. Kimiko also looked down at the girl's plate and saw she was only eating the pancakes. Deep down, Kimiko wished she didn't have to get to know this girl, but as long as she was here, Franciska was a guest and a friend. Or at least a friend to a friend.

"No bacon?" Kimiko asked from out of the blue. Everyone looked up from their plates and back to Kimiko.

"Oh, yeah," Franciscka responded when she realized the Japanese girl meant her. "I'm a vegetarian." Everyone at the table looked surprised. Mostly Clay. And even Raimundo.

"Since when are you a vegetarian?" Rai asked after quickly swallowing the fork full just in his mouth.

"About three years ago. You know I used to love meat and all back then, but these days it isn't really agreeing with me anymore. So, I decided to play it safe and cut at least red meat out of my diet," the dancer explained somewhat uncomfortably and took another bit of her flapjacks.

"Meat makes you sick?" Rai asked.

"Stomach pain so bad I can hardly move," she stated threw a small mouth full. "And since I'm a dancer, I can't afford that risk," she says the last part after swallowing.

"That was a most wise decision my new friend," Omi said from her right. "I myself do not eat meat and it is a more healthy lifestyle."

"Where as Clay here can't go a meal without at least a bit or ten of the stuff," Rai stated with a grin earning a light laugh from the table.

"Comes from growin' up on a beef ranch," Clay stated proudly, shoving a whole stripe of bacon into him mouth.

"Kids! Kids!" Dojo yelled, running into the kitchen and hopping onto the table. "We got a hot Sheng Gong Wu active! We gotta go, now!" Everyone quickly got up and started for the door, all except Franciska who stayed in her set confused.

"You gotta go to a what now?" she hollered after them. Rai stopped at the door way while the others went back to their rooms to change. The Shoku warrior looked back to the dragon on the table.

"Master Fung said her staying here can't interfere with your duties as a Xaiolin monk or a Shoku leader," the small dragon said sternly, hopping off the table.


	4. Chapter 4

Dancing Flame

Chapter 4

**So sorry this it a little late, it took me forever to get through the Wu hunt part.**

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Minutes later, Clay, Omi, and Kimiko were waiting in the courtyard for their ride. Growing impatient, Kimiko pulled the scroll of the Sheng Gong Wu out of her back pack.

"So what's the Wu this time?" Clay asked, walking over to look over her shoulder as she opened the scroll and Omi did the same.

"It's called the Jar of Illusions." Dojo pops out of nowhere, startling them all, and takes a set on top of Omi's head as he looks at the scroll too. The moving illustration showed a man with a palm sized jar in his hands. "When you activate it and open it, it releases a misty fog that can take the shape of anything, or even anyone, the possessor wants. They can also control what the illusion does and says." They watched as the man on the scroll opens the jar and a puff of fog rose out and transformed into a large bear, it also showed a group of warriors with weapons approached the man, and the bear scarred all the warriors away. After the scroll's demonstration was finished, Kimiko immediately rolls the scroll back up.

"That could be most useful in battle," Omi says intrigued.

"Yeah it can, but there's a catch," Dojo stated holding up a finger to pause. "Since they're just illusions made of mist, their not real. So if you try to touch them or disturb them with anything, they'll dissolve, turn back into mist and go back into the Sheng Gong Wu. And that will also happen when you put the lid back on and close it up."

"So, it's like an avatar in a video game that doesn't have extra lives," everyone raised their heads to see their leader approaching with an amused grin and Franciska by his side. "You guys ready to go?"

"What about her?" Kimiko asked nodding her head towards the Brazilian girl in a sun dress that was about four different shades of purple right in front of her.

"She's coming with us," Kimiko's eyes widened. "Relax, she's cool with going and I just spoke with Master Fung and he said it was fine."

"Yeah, I promise I won't get in your way," Franciska reassured. Omi and Clay shrugged in agreement that they were okay with her tagging along. Kimiko wanted to protest by saying it would be to dangerous for her, when really she just didn't want her to come. Before anything else could be said, Dojo grew and urged everyone on. Omi sits in front as usual, followed by Kimiko, but behind her is not who it usually is. She turns her head around to see Franciska sitting behind her, followed by Raimundo, and Clay at his spot in the back. As Dojo takes off, Kimiko's inner badgering to herself comes back.

'First Master Fung lets her stay at the temple, and now he's letting her go on Wu hunts with us? She's not even a student.' Kimiko wished she could turn her head again and look back at those two, but she knew her face would reveal how annoyed she was and they'd see it as a glare.

Dojo and his passengers arrive in the skies of Cuba by early in the afternoon. They land in a small field by the shore and close to a town.

"Come my friends, we must find that Sheng Gong Wu as quickly as possible," Omi announces as he slides off the shape shifting dragon and immediately starts looking. Everyone else follows him off onto the field as Dojo shrinks down and slithers after him.

"Why the rush? It's a beautiful day and we're in Havana!" Franciska asks looking toward the town and turns to grab Raimundo's arm in excitement. "Oh Rai, we have to go to one of those dance cafés they have here!" she exclaims shaking Rai's arm like a maraca. Kimiko glares at them and decides to intervene.

"Eh-Hem," Kimiko coughs out to get both their attentions. "We have to rush because we aren't the only ones who hunt Sheng Gong Wu, and if we don't find it first, they will and that will be bad." Kimiko explains to mostly the new girl but also a bit towards her leader to remind him to focus on their job. Raimundo notices the serious, and almost irritated, look on his best friend's face and nods to her to show he understands.

"She's right Franciska," Rai looks back to his old friend. "We can go sight seeing later; after we find the Wu."

"Okay, but who else would be looking for these Wu anyway?"

"Me!" the warriors only had a second to react to that one word and move before lazar blasts rained down on them. Kimiko and Clay dodged, Omi ran in the opposite direction with Dojo, while Raimundo pulled Franciska down to the ground with him. Everyone looked to the sky even though they can very well guess who it is already. "Hola Xiaolin losers!" calls the 'self-proclaimed evil-genius', hovering over them with a small army of jack-bots scattered around the rest of the field.

"Jack Spicer, you will not succeed today! The Jar of Illusions is ours!" Omi exclaims with Dojo finding in the safety of the young monk's robes.

"Unless I find it first, Cheese Ball!" the pale faced goth yells back, pressing a button on his wrist. "Jack-Bots, Attack!" The flying robots all swooped down and continued blasting at the monks, while Jack looked for the Wu.

"Third-Arm Sash, Earth!" Clay plows through several bots with the stony fist of the sash. He then bashes back at a few more coming to keep them away from were Raimundo told Franciska to hide.

"Orb of Tornami, Ice" Omi blasts back, freezing the tin cans solid and shattering into scrap metal and spare parts as they fall and hit the ground.

"Eye of Dashi, Fire!" Kimiko firers into the sky, blowing them away and melting them down. However, the Dragon of Fire did not see the robot coming at her from behind and rams her to the ground, letting go of the lightning shooting eye. But before this droid could finish her off with a single blast, a swift chop lopped it's head clear off and the rest of it fell into the dirt. Kimiko looked up to see a smiling, and concerned faced Raimundo standing above her as he offered her a hand up.

"You okay girl?" Kimiko grinned back and accepted the hand and he pulled her back up to her feet. Also handed her back the Eye of Dashi.

"I'm fine," she gentle responded, taking the Wu back. "thanks." A few more lazar blasts struck them back to reality and back into the fight.

As Franciscka watches the action scene from behind the large rock Rai told her to hide behind and stay low, something somewhat shiny caught her eye in the bushes behind her. But as she crawled over and reached for it;

"Not so fast, pretty bird!" Jack hollers, zooming towards her and snatching the jar as she cringes back to the rock as the wind from his hover pack blew in her face. Jack hovers over the spot above her with the jar in his hands as he laughs more idiotically then evilly. Franciska stares up at him, first a little helplessly but then she grows more certain of that she can't let this guy get what he wants. She looks down around her and grabs a small rock.

"Hey mascara boy!" she yells up to him. Jack stops laughing for only a second before her rock collides with his forehead. "No random moron calls me 'pretty bird' without a hit." Jack looks back down at her while clutching his probably bruising forehead, getting angry but then panics when he realizes he dropped the Wu. Jack scans around the field until he spots it again in the grass. Jack drops from the sky and runs over to the jar, but as his hand touches the lid, so does another hand. He raises his head to meet the determined stare of the Dragon of the Wind.

"Jack, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" Rai says, reran to go.

"Fine, name your game Raimundo," Jack sighed, accepting the call slightly annoyed that he couldn't avoid a showdown for this Wu hunt. But still determined to win. Rai looks up at the sky to see all the jack-bots are gone and destroyed but also notices that it's a fairly cloudy day in Cuba.

"The game is cloud sweeping. First one to clear the most clouds above the field wins, the game ends when there's no more clouds left." Raimundo smiles as he explains his showdown, but Jack smiles just as smug.

"You're on, I wager the Sword of the Storm," the fiery red head pulls out the wind Sheng Gong Wu with the same smug look.

"Alright, in that case I wager the Mantis Flip-Coin," Rai calmly pulls the small Wu from his pocket; little smug looking himself.

"Lets go, XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!" Both boys yelled as the field is encased by a thick and tall stretching, transparent dome trapping them in along with most of the clouds at the top. The others stood on the rock Franciska was hiding by during the fight, all in their Wudai robes and Rai in his in the middle of the field with Jack.

"GONG YI TAMPAI!"

"Sword of the Storm!" Jack activated his Wu and a tornado of intense wind swirled from the blade and blew a dozen or more clouds into nothing. Rai pulled his mask down to expose the rest of his face, still looking even more smug then Jack is or was before, then also made his move.

"Mantis Flip-Coin!" Rai thumb tossed the coin and leapt into the domed over sky, kicking away a large cloud into a puff hard with both feet. As he landed gracefully back to the ground Jack started to laugh hysterically looking at Rai's still cocky smile.

"Why so smug Raimundo? You picked an air required showdown while I have the all powerful wind Sheng Gong Wu right here!" Jack hollered over still laughing about the absurdity he's seeing in this event.

"Serious Spicer? Did you honestly forget that I don't need that sword to beat you?" Jack stopped laughing to hear him better and looked a bit confused. "I'm not just Raimundo, the Xiaolin Shoku warrior. I'm Raimundo, Xiaolin Dragon of the Wind!" On that exclamation, "Mantis Flip-Coin, Wind!" Rai activated his Wu once more, flipping into the air in a spinning cannon ball position. When he reached the high center of the field, he continued to swirl in that one place. The others looked up and wondered what their leader was doing. As Rai's spinning started to slow down, the wind dragon sprung out of his ball spaced pose and a blast of wind burst from him in all directions, spreading and blowing every last cloud into invisible air. A flash later, the dome was gone, everyone was back in their casual attire, and Rai was standing back in the middle of the field with the Mantis Flip-Coin, Sword of the Storm, and Jar of Illusions. Everyone jumped off the rock and ran over to their triumphantly standing leader to congratulate him.

"Raimundo, that was truly amazing. You were able to focus your Xiaolin element through a Sheng Gong Wu that was not made to be compatible with wind," Omi battered on a bit confused on how that was possible but still very impressed.

"Eh, it was nothing really," Rai shrugs half modest.

"Yeah, you always say that you big show-off," Franciska playfully elbows him in the gut with a laugh. Rai laughs back through a sarcastic whine of pain. On the other side of the field, they all see Jack hastily picking up all the bits of broken robot he can carry. He was in so much of a rush he didn't even hear them come over to him. Upon seeing them standing right in front of him, Jack gave a girly scream of terror and dropped all the parts in his arms. One landing on his foot, causing him to scream again, but also jump on his good foot and clutch the one that he just crushed. The monks all laughed as Jack hollered out in pain as he jumped around.

"What do you say guys, you wanna beat the crap out of Jack now or give him a head start?" Kimiko smiled evilly and cracked her knuckled as the guys nodded at her no-brainier suggestion. Jack stumbled over and landed on his butt and started to crawl back away from them all.

"Wait, wait, wait! You guys wouldn't beat me up in front of an innocent young lady would you?" Jack desperately tried, but unsuccessfully, begged.

"I have no problem kicking your ass Jack, that's why I recommended it," Kimiko said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Kimiko, you may be a young lady but even I know you are the farthest thing from innocent." Jack stated starting to stand up and dust himself off. "I was referring to your new pretty bird," Jack gestured with a gentlemen like arm behind them to Franciska.

Franciska's face started to turn a bit pink from both embarrassment and rage. Rai took a step back, knowing what was coming. The others followed suit and stepped away from the fuming Brazilian girl, fearing she'll explode, along with anyone around her. As she gave a mild growl, Franciscka stomped forward and planted her foot into the one of Jack's that harshly met metal less then a minute ago. Jack once again cried out in pain as he clutched his foot. "I thought I already made it clear to you," Franciska poked Jack's forehead hard, reminding him of the rock she threw. "no one calls me 'pretty bird.'"

"Pretty, feisty, and bold," Jack states, unclenching his foot and standing up straighter to look at her better; also giving a double eye brow raise and fall with a little hum in his throat. Rai could see where Jack was trying to go with this and stepped between them, pushing Jack away and almost falling to the ground again.

"Back off Spicer, she's spoken for," Rai practically spat in Jack's face. Kimiko's heart skipped a beat. She didn't expect Rai to say that, especially in the way he said it. He sounded so angry towards Jack and protective of her. He usually only did that for her. But now that she's here, he does it for her too. Or maybe just for her now.

"Whatever," Jack huffed, activating his hover pack and flying away.

"Well, now that the spiky haired albino is gone and we got your Wu, who wants to go to the beach?" Franciska exclaimed the last part excitedly, pointing to the shore by the field.

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**Working on next chapter now. Later Players! Please Review**


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